Originally Posted by
Crusty Deary Ol'Coot
Area Man,
I really believe that bullet shape is more important then alloy! That is, providing a reasonable alloy is being used to begin with.
As T-Bird indicates the large meplat is going to do the work in the larger calibers.
Now as to expansion ----------- Because there is NO controlling factor such as a jacket on a cast bullet it is and forever will be a factor of velocity and alloy at impact which dictates how much if any expansion will occur.
An alloy that may expand wonderfully and classically at a given velocity at 50yds will likely have little to no expansion at 100yds. But should that same bullet/alloy be given enough velocity to give that classic expansion at 100yds, it is very likely going to over expand or disintegrate at the shorter distance.
This is the reason that those bullets with large meplats, many times called bullets with a Wide Flat Nose are so greatly effective on game. No expansion needed. If it happens so be it, but there is no need to depend on it.
So, forget Hollow Point bullets, as simply using a cast bullet with the large meplat/Wide Flat Nose is greatly more reliable and predictable!
I wonder why the choice of a 330gr cast bullet for the 45/70, considering that typically bullets of 400+grains many times are a much better choice in this rifle. You don't need high for this cartridge velocity so why go with the light for caliber bullet?
During my early days with the 45/70 and cast bullets I was working with the mind set brought about from years of shooting, loading for and hunting with typical high velocity jacketed/controlled expansion bullet cartridges.
For that reason, I first chose a 355gr WFN bullet which I cast from an LBT (Lead Bullet Technology) mold and worked up/developed loads in the 2000fps + velocity range, testing as high as just over 2500fps. Hunting the first season at 2300fps. POOR CHOICE! In SPADES!
The WFN bullet profile with a load that left the muzzle at 2300fps was overly destructive leaving a huge wound channel in a 100yd deer! NEVER WANT TO SEE THAT AGAIN!
Thankfully that bullet gave me neither the accuracy or consistency I desired and my research lead me to a WFN cast bullet of 465gr which I put out the barrel at 1650fps. AWESOME on a growing pile of deer and 3 elk at this point.
My alloy for the 465gr WFN, as recommended by the mold maker, is a 50/50 alloy made up of clip on wheel weights and lead. These bullets are water quenched as they fall from the hot mold.
For my RUGER 77/44 carbine I am developing loads which I have tested in the 1600 - 1900fps range using bullets cast of just Wheel Weights. However this 275gr cast bullet is again of the Wide Flat Nose profile, this time from an Accurate Molds mold.
As per recoil, the 355gr cast in the 45/70, fired at 2300 - 2500fps was MUCH worse then the 465gr at 1650fps.
My 2016 elk was taken at 161yds with the WFN 465gr. and it as every critter taken with this rifle was a one shot kill.
Good molds with proper casting will cast great bullets of just plain old WW, and the addition of tin is for the most part wasted money and won't make them kill any better.
AS per the Lyman cast bullet manual, the nominal percentage of tin in WW is .5%. So, with my 465gr bullet being cast of a 50/50 - WW/lead - alloy they cast great even with the much lower percentage of tin, Plus they are ever so deadly on the deer and elk.
Crusty Deary Ol'Coot